Skate



May 4,1926.

\ A. s. BIERLY SKATE Filed May 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6r. n 13.} i #0! m May 4,1926. 1,583,114 A. S. BIERLY slum:

Filed lay 18, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invent): j

jfiiweflsf AZberi 22 67 47- Patented May 4, 19 26. V

F eP N QF-FIQ ALBEnr's. sinnnmor onioneo, ILLINOIS, 'i

I Application, filed May 18,

To all whom it may concern: v Be it known'that I, ALBERT S. BIERLY,

a citizen of the United States, residing-at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Skates, ofwhich the T following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in roller skates and particularly to a roller skate in which the caterpillar traction principle is employed. Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course ofthe specification and claims. I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically: in the following drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is aside elevation of my invention;

Fig. 2 isa section on theline}-2 20f Fig. l; 1

Fig. 3 is a detail form; j

Fig.4: is a similar section of another variant form;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a form in which the belt rides on a continuous track;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5 and v Fig. 7 is a detail section of a Variation of the structure of Fig. 5.

Like parts are indicatedby like letters and numbers throughout the drawings. 1

.A is a diagrammatic illustration of a shoe, secured to the sole and heel of which is the skate plate B from the sides of which depends the ears B, perforated as at B toreceive pins or bolts B which are secured in place, for example, by the nuts B.

Rotating on the pins B are rollers O which may be of any suitable material, such as hard wood or hollow metal, and are preferably provided with flanges O at each end. Obviously any form of roller bearing might be.used, such as are nowconstantly in use in the manufacture of roller skates, and the flanges'may be dispensed with.

One pair of ears, preferably the rear one is mounted for longitudinal adjustment along the skate plate. Any suitable form of adjustment may be used, but I illustrate the ear as perforated near the top by a slotor slots D through which pass bolts or pins section of a variant 1922,. Serial in). 561,816. D? which may be tightened, for example by the nuts D to secure the ears against motion along. the skate plate, if"desired, the i opposed surfaces ofskate plate and car may 7 be corrugated.

Obviously the pair of; ears might be adjustable along the main skate plate, and the form illustrated is merely diagrammatie. v I I Mounted to ride about the rollers is the joined at their upper endsby 'a small plate belt E, which is illustrated-in Fig. l as a I smooth belt secured in. the usual manner as at E by-any suitable belt fastener. If desired, a leather link belt Eflsuch as shown in Figure 3, may besubstituted." i

' I have illustrated thero'llers as smooth" surfacedand in general a smooth surfaced roller is thoroughly satisfactory,but' under some circumstances it may be desirable to corrugate the roller and make it virtually a sprocket. Therefore I illustrate in Figure 4 a roller F with the peripheral corrugations, F adapted to engage similar corrugations F on the belt F In Figure 5 and following, a form of skate is shown wherein the belt instead of being mounted to ride about the rollers, is mounted on a continuous, preferably smooth, track G, and may, if desired, be provided with a flange G about each edge thereof. The track member is secured to the skate plate by downwardly depending ears and bolts such as have already been described. It may in some cases be desirable to provide the smooth track surface with ball or roller bearings such as are shown at H in Figure 7, which may be mounted in any suitable way in the track surface, in order to reduce the friction of the belton the track to a minimum.

parallel belts, in order to extend the bearing surface. Similarly a plurality of non-rotating members may be used as belt guides and supports, in the placeof the single track or the plurality of rollers.

The use and operations of my invention areas follows:

I provide a skate plate which may be screwed directly to the sole of the shoelor may be strapped or bolted to it in any man-- ner now used for attaching roller skates. Mounted beneath this plate are two or more rollers of any suitable material, such as hard wood or hollow metal, the wear to which the rollers are exposed being relatively slight. About these rollers passes a belt which is held against side slipping by flanges on the rollers This belt operates like the belt or once as a cushion and as a distributor of the weight of the foot over a relatively large area. The resultis a reduction of the jolts and jars of the ordinary roller skate and it means is possible to skate smoothly over a relatively broken surface.

The belt is easily tightened by the adjustment of the rear roller and it is easily re moved for repairer replacement when necessary. For a long skate theintermediate roller or rollers furnish additional support and ease the strain on the belt: The belt will not stretch to the same degree on the continuous I claim:

1. As a new article of man-ufacture a skate comprising a foot supporting member, a plurality of elongate rollers positioned therebeneath and longitudinally spaced therealong, and a broad endless tractor belt of relatively flexible material passing about said rollers.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a skate comprising a foot supporting member, a plurality of elongate rollers positioned therebeneath and longitudinally spaced there' along, and a broad vendless tractor belt of relatively flexible material passing about said rollers, and means for adjusting the tension of said beltcornprising means for adjusting the distance between the axes of to tation ofsaid rollers.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 13th dayot May, 1922.

ALBERT S. BIERLY.

track form, but it also may be made adjust- 7 able as to length if desired. 

